1. a building where people are kept as punishment for a crime or while waiting for trial
2. a situation or place that severely restricts someone’s freedom or happiness
Usage: figurative

1. to put or keep someone in prison

Examples

• He was sentenced to five years in prison for robbery.
• The old prison was converted into a museum.
• She felt trapped in a prison of her own making.
• The dictator prisoned his political opponents.
• Many prisoners spend years behind bars before their trials.
• The maximum-security prison housed dangerous criminals.
• His addiction became a prison that controlled his life.